Manchester United loanee Hannibal Mejbri was the star of the show as Birmingham City beat local rivals West Brom 2-0 last night.
The on-loan midfielder opened the scoring in the local derby with a stunning free-kick, which was his first ever senior goal.
Then, he bagged an assist, from a corner planted onto the head of Krystian Bielik who doubled the Blues’ lead to earn local bragging rights.
He deservedly won the man of the match award, which he proudly showed off on his Instagram story after the game.
Hannibal shines as Birmingham beat West Brom 2-0
The game was shown live on Sky Sports and pundits Clinton Morrison and Hal Robson-Kanu, who used to play for Birmingham and West Brom respectively, were full of praise for the midfielder.
Morrison said: “It’s a fantastic free kick. Fair play to him and he’s been outstanding. I loved that energy. He believes in himself. He sets the tone for them.”
Robson-Kanu added: ‘It felt like he covered every blade of grass.
“At 20-years-old to put in a performance like that, (Erik) Ten Hag will be watching that and he has a very bright future.”
Hannibal’s masterclass last night comes on the back of another huge contribution last week, when he set up Birmingham’s 97th minute winner at Swansea.
That secured a dramatic 4-3 win, and last night’s win was another impressive result for the Blues, who are doing their best not to let off-field ownership issues distract them.
A first ever senior goal is a huge milestone for the Tunisia international, and he will hope to continue to impress from now until the end of the season.
United’s midfield is an area where there could be changes next season and Hannibal needs to make sure he is as well-placed as possible to take advantage of that.
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